Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians Gives Update on Antoine Winfield Jr. Ahead of NFC Championship Game

Published 01/24/2021, 3:24 PM EST

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers get ready for one of the biggest games in franchise history. They will be taking on the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game.

If the Buccaneers are successful, they will have the chance to play in the Super Bowl in their own stadium in front of their own fans.

However, the status of Antoine Winfield Jr. is still up in the air. Speaking to ESPN earlier in the day, Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians revealed the Winfield Jr.’s status is still not confirmed.

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He further added that a decision will be taken only closer to tip-off occurs. Clearly, despite the big stakes, the Buccaneers are not taking any risks with his health.

Bucs coach Bruce Arians tells our Sal Paolantonio that Antoine Winfield Jr. remains a game-time decision. He suffered an ankle injury this week. “We will work him out before the game,” Arians said.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) January 24, 2021

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into one of their biggest games in history without a key player’s status confirmed.

Winfield is one of the most important players to the defensive unit of the Buccaneers. Winfield as a safety helps clean up after the defensive line and stop opposition attacks dead in their tracks.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers facing a challenge

However, despite the status of the safety in doubt, the Buccaneers walk into the NFC championship game with serious concerns on their minds.

Veteran wide-receiver Antonio Brown was ruled out for the NFC championship game after contracting COVID-19. Brown’s loss came as a big blow to the Buccaneers as he was one of the best performers in the offensive unit.

Brown’s combination with Tom Brady has been excellent throughout this season. The two have combined multiple times this year to help get the Buccaneers a victory whenever they needed it the most.

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However, the rest of the team does have other key players such as Rob Gronkowski still fit and motivated to return to the Super Bowl stage.

The Buccaneers will be more reliant than ever on franchise star quarterback Tom Brady. Brady is one of the best clutch performers in the history of the NFL.

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However, he has one of the toughest challenges in his career as he faces an in-form Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay Packers team. But if anyone can uplift this team to victory, it will be Tom Brady.

Tom Brady Enters NFC Championship Against Green Bay Packers Game With Impressive Record

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Aaditya Krishnamurthy is an NBA & NFL journalist for EssentiallySports, before which he worked at BusinessWorld magazine. He has been a fan of Basketball for over 10 years now, since Shaquille O’Neal was a Phoenix Suns player. During his time at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, he started a sports magazine for the college called the Overtime Tribune and hosted the Overtime Tribune Podcast until he graduated.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians Gives Update on Antoine Winfield Jr. Ahead of NFC Championship Game

Tampa Bay Buccaneers facing a challenge

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